Football is one of the most popular sports activities in the United States, which has already turned into a multibillion-dollar business. Salaries for all those who are connected with NFL (the National Football League), including refs, remain at a high level. Below, we will provide detailed information on how much referees working in this industry are paid.
How much does an NFL ref make? Get a detailed answer
After a series of protests, the National Football League and the Referees Association made a decision to increase payments for all the game officials. Thus, refs working in the NFL now have an annual salary of near two hundred and five thousand dollars, before they were paid approximately fifty-six thousand dollars less. The following figures are also worth paying attention to:
| Match Officials | Earnings per Super Bowl |
| Women NFL referees | Five thousand dollars |
| Professional NFL referees | Ten thousand dollars |
It should be also taken into account that professional refs also receive the special bonus at the end of a season, which significantly increases their annual earnings. If you want to compare the above-mentioned figures with other sports leagues’ officials’ earnings.
Referee salary in NFL: why is it so high?
The NFL is not only a well-known national sports provider but also a very successful business. Thanks to the success of the famous sports league, all those involved earn celebrity status and play a significant role in promoting brands and the NFL. In diverse fields, salesmen are often compensated for the amount of revenue that they help to generate. That is why the NFL, which gets billions in revenue, tries to reward the players and officials financially accordingly.
Of course, one should remember that to become a successful NFL referee is not so easy. Thus, to earn a spot in the NFL, it is necessary to follow these steps:
- Get a college-level education with some sports background.
- Find a training college or special organization offering programs for future refs. This step is very important since the programs provide useful information regarding rules of the game, ethics, sportsmanship, as well as tips on how to interact with other officials during the match.
- After you have completed the necessary training, you will get state registration. It usually requires passing a written exam.
- At this stage, you will simply need to practice as much as possible. As a rule, refs start their careers officiating games at high schools. After some time, they are ready to try their skills at colleges or leagues.
- This step consists in visiting training sessions that will provide you with certifications. It is not obligatory but certification will be considered as a significant advantage in the future.
In most cases, to become the National Football League ref, you should officiate games at colleges for at least 5 years. Do not forget that the league tends to send scouts to diverse games. If you want to get noticed by them, you should work at your best and avoid making any serious mistakes. If you will get noticed by a representative of the NFL, the league will carefully check all the information regarding your work for the last 3 regular seasons, and only then will make the important decision.
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